In a Hungarian interview with Forbes, three-time Olympic champion and 200/400 IM world record holder Katinka Hosszu said that she would likely bypass the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This is due to the fact that she plans on having a baby with her fiancee Máté Gelencsér before then. Hosszu and Gelencsér got engaged this Janurary.
“I know the 2024 Paris Olympics are a long way from me, it’s unlikely to fit in because my fiancé and I are planning to have a baby.” Hosszu said. “Sure, it turns out the way it turns out, but I don’t think I’ll be there for the next Olympics.”
If Hosszu were to follow through with her plans, Paris 2024 will be the first time in 24 years that she will not be present at the Olympics. The Hungarian has competed in five different Olympic games: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.
In January 2022, Hosszu said that she didn’t have any imminent retirement plans, as she wanted to pursue her goal of winning 100 major international meet medals. She currently has a total of 96, coming from the Olympic Games, the long course and short course World Championships, and the long course and short course European Championships.
This year’s World Championships, in which Hoszzu is on the Hungarian roster for, gives her another opportunity to near her goal. She is slated to compete in her bread and butter events of the 200 and 400 IM, where she holds a combined nine world titles. However, last year, she had a disappointing performance at the Olympics where she finished 5th and 7th in each respectively, a far cry from her 2016 showcasing of three golds (200/400 IM, 100 back) and a silver (200 back). She’s made some improvements since Tokyo, including holding the third-fastest time in the world in the 400 IM (4:35.95), meaning that her medaling hopes are still alive.
Hosszu also said that she planned on racing the three FINA World Cup circuits this fall, which will take place Berlin, Toronto, and Indianapolis. Hosszu is no stranger to the World Cup, as she holds 307 gold medals from the event, the most out of any swimmer.
Also in the interview, Hosszu discussed opening a restaurant alongside her fiancee, her diet, and her future beyond swimming. You can read the full interview in Hungarian here.
Knowing how she stacks up her schedule, I’m guessing… quadruplets, at least?
I think there’s an error. It says the 2024 Olympics would be the first time in 24 years that she hasn’t been in the Olympics. But it also says her first games were in 2004. The math doesn’t add up.
The 2000 Olympics were the last Olympics where she didn’t compete. Paris 2024 – 2000 = 24
I noticed it too. You are still making up 4 years out of nothing, it’s not that she was there in 2001. She was there when it happened: 2004. She participated in Olympics for 18 years by now, not 22..
The article doesn’t say she has been competing in the Olympics for 18 years. It says that Paris will be the first Olympics in 24 years where she hasn’t competed. Those are two different calculations.
So how many years would you then list for someone like Therese Alshammar? Her first Olympics she participated in was 1996 and her last was 2016 (she did not make it in her ‘comeback’ attempt in 2021 – Sweden swimmer Therese Alshammar misses out on record 7th Olympics (espn.com) ).
Would the math be 2021 – 1992?
2021 was the first time in 29 years when there was an Olympics where she hadn’t competed.
However, she competed in the Olympics across a span of 19 years.
Two different calculations.
She might take a minor medal at Worlds, but she can rack up at Euros and hit that target.
Sounds like she has her head on straight. Hope she wins a couple more medals to round out the career.
My jaw dropped at 307 World Cup medals. She has to have swam more races than just about any other swimmer did in their career.
During the Tusup era she would enter almost every event. I seem to remember her winning the 1500 a couple times when there was no world class distance swimmers entered.
even the 200 breast as well (and sometimes the 100 breast too maybe?)
all due respect to her, she wouldn’t be dominant anyway. she’s had her time and it was a great one.
I don’t see much respect here despite the “all due respect…”
“With all due respect…KWAME BROWN IS A SCRUB”
she also talked about her movie. Made for a gazillion dollars that may inspire kids to become Olympic level swimmers.
It only has an average score of 3.9 on IMDB.
Good for her. Having a baby is always exciting